Myopia

 

What is myopia?

Myopia, also known as ‘short-sightedness’ or ‘near-sightedness’, makes it difficult for people to see objects in the distance clearly. Myopia usually starts at a young age and can continually worsen until adult years. Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long and as a result, the light entering into the eye isn’t focused correctly.

Currently there are 2 billion people in the world who are myopic, and this is expected to grow to 5 billion by 2050. 

risk factors

  • Family History

  • Ethnicity – Asians

  • Strabismus (Eye Turns)

  • Excessive close work (computer work and reading)

  • Poor lighting

  • Emmetropia at age 3

complications

High myopia (-5.00 or more) increases the risk of sight-threatening eye diseases and is now recognised as a major cause of blindness as it can cause:  

  • Cataract, Glaucoma, Retinal Detachment, Myopic Macula Degeneration, Macula Holes, Retinoschsis, Choroidal Neovascularisation

Therefore it is important to try to control myopia progression to prevent these eye diseases.

controlling myopia

  • Orthokeratology Lenses (also known as Ortho-K Lenses, or OK Lenses

  • MyoVision Lenses

  • Atropine Eye Drops

  • Bifocal and Multifocal Glasses

  • Multifocal Contact Lenses

good eye hygiene habits

Good eye habits can reduce the stress on the eyes and in turn, prevent the progression of myopia.

  1. Taking regular rest breaks with extended near work

  2. Don’t hold your books, tablets or any other reading material too close to the eyes

  3. Good lighting for all near work

Studies have shown that increased outdoor time, about 2 hours per day reduces the risk of developing myopic progression by 50%.